Take a look at the helpful resources at this TabStart page to find poems, lesson plans, and activities to help 6th grade students understand the concept of similes clearly. There are poems here that offer excellent examples of similes that you can use in your classroom, and the works range from a Shakespearean sonnet to a poem about baseball.

Poems to Teach Sixth Grade Students about Similes

Classic Poems with Similes
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"A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns and "Flint" by Christina Rosetti are two poems that make ample use of similes. These poems are ideal examples to use in a 6th grade language arts classrooms that is studying linguistic constructions.

"A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes
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Langston Hughes' poem, "A Dream Deferred," offers one of the most famous examples of a poem that employs similes. This poem discusses dreams, a topic that is easily relateable to 6th graders who are just beginning to think seriously about their futures.

"Base Stealer" by Robert Francis
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This poem by Robert Francis will pique the interest of baseball-loving 6th grade students. The similes in this poem capture the freneticism of speed on the bases.

Teach Simile Sixth Grade

A Fun Way to Teach Similes
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Author and publisher Bruce Lansky offers this useful lesson about similes. He features his poem "Predictable" from his book If Pigs Could Fly. . .And Other Deep Thoughts. This page also includes an exercise to encourage 6th grade students to write their own similes.

Online Simile Matching Exercise
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This resource presents a very practical way for students to learn and practice common English similes such as "dry as a bone" and "fit as a fiddle." Students click and drag words to complete fifteen common similes.

Getting to Know Similes Lesson Plan
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NYLearns.org has integrated a terrific SmartBoard lesson to help students study similes. The lesson's objective is for students to identify similes and relate them to their personal life. Students complete the lesson by creating their own simile poems.